To Befriend or Not to Befriend, That's My Question
by Ilandere Okami
Summary: The story of Joss and Thanos: the 4th and 5th at Wammy's; Matt & Mello's best friends; and witnesses to Kira's reign, downfall, and the after effects. Wait, who said anything about murderers! OCxOC, MelloxMatt. This could actually be true to the series.
1. First Impressions are Everything

**Author's note: so inspiration came. Here's a romance (w/ a load of comedy and angst, so a bit of everything really) using two original characters taking place at Wammy's House. (i couldve made it any old orphanage for smarties and posted it on fictionpress, but where's the fun in that?) so, writing in a guy's perspective is tricky, but easy because all i do is write exactly what comes to mind without thinking! teehee. might only update this w/ a lot of inspiration (which will last through the next two chapters i think, for i have a few insidences i wanna write about) 'cause i still have my twilight fanfic, my Death Note story quiz on quizilla, and Death's Soul on my fictionpress account.**

**Disclaimer: i do not own Death Note, any of the bands or music mentioned (and have never listened to Slipknot), or any of the books mentioned (although i have read every single one and that is why i know so many). Also, the computer mentioned is completely based after mine. i guess i have no originality when it comes to basing a character after myself...lol**

* * *

Chapter 1 - First Impressions are Everything...I Think

"Here we are, Thanos," Roger said as we reached our destination. We were in a hall of Wammy's House's dormitories which I later learned was given the nickname "The Loony Ward." I also later learned that most rooms in this hall were soundproof and one even had a security camera in it. However, there was only one room left for me to stay in and it was in this hallway, the one for all the craziest geniuses.

You see, I was an orphan. My mother had died giving birth to me—sad, I know, but at least I never got to know her. However, my older brother did. And he had some mental problems. So when my mother—our mother—died, he blamed me, for he was extremely close to her. She was the only one who understood him. He spent most of his time in his room, rarely coming out. My father disliked me as well, for he loved his wife. Then, about a month ago, when my brother had finally come to the kitchen to eat, my father said something about our mother and my brother just snapped. It had something to do with using her name in vain or something—although I think that really only applies to G-d, now don't you think?

So, my brother murdered our father and was sent to the loony bin. I was sent to a hospital—something about being emotionally scarred or something. Anyway, I was tested constantly, my brain, my body, my mental state. They stuck needles in me several times. And all the while, I was stuck in a plain white, boring room with nothing to do but eat, shit, and sleep. Finally they sent me off to Wammy's House, home for gifted orphans or something like that. And here I was, about to meet my roommate.

I looked up at the door to see I had number 77. Oh, shit, just great. The room I get is the one with the most…sexual…meaning. And fuck, I had to share the room with another guy. That's gotta be awkward. Not that I have anything against gay people; I just wasn't. And I'm pretty sure I'm not bi either. Nope, straight as a rainbow, as one of my old friends would say. Nah, I'm kidding. I was straight as a pole. But seriously, no offense to gay people. I am not a homophobe, don't worry!

Roger opened the door to my new room and the first thought that went through my head was "Black." The walls were black, the bedding was black, everything was black—well, except the bedding on the second bed (white), the second desk and second dresser (both a nice wood color). The walls were covered in posters of strange bands: Slipknot, Evanescence, Flyleaf, Linkin Park; there was a dream-catcher above my roommate's bed. And there was "screamo" music blasting from the computer lying on my roommate's stomach as she—yes, she—lied on her bed.

Yeah, that's right; I had a girl for a roommate. Well, this wasn't gonna be awkward in the slightest. Well, she noticed us as soon as the door opened and sat up, placing the laptop on the bed. I noticed then that she stealthily put her hands behind her back and the next time I saw them, they were wearing black fingerless gloves. Weird. Anyways, back to the story.

So, Roger then said as soon as he knew he had the girl's full attention, "Joss, I'd like you to meet your new roommate."

The girl, Joss, was shocked by this news. Apparently she didn't know about me yet. "Roommate?!" she screeched as she jumped from her bed. "What the hell?! I did NOT ask for a roommate!" Someone had anger management issues.

I was hiding behind Roger at the moment—yeah, I know, babyish for a fourteen-year-old guy, but this girl really freaked me out. Well, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in front of him. That's when I got my first full view of Joss. And I liked what I saw.

She was just a few inches shorter than me, but made up for it with her prominent attitude. She had the perfect hourglass shape that any guy was just dying to put his arms around. Of course, she was wearing all black, which took away from her amazing chest. Most girls I knew from my old school who had big boobs had a big stomach as well. This girl didn't, though. Her hair was definitely died, for it was black with red and blue streaks and fell down to the small of her back. She had several piercings—her ears and her nose. I had a feeling she had a tattoo somewhere on her body. Her eyes were so dark, they were almost black, surrounded by black make-up. Her lips were nice and red though, without the use of gloss or lipstick. All in all, she was not a girl to be messed with.

Well, as I got my look at her, she got her look at me. I didn't think of myself as much, and I had a feeling I was not her taste. My blond hair fell down to my shoulders, some half-covering my right eye. My eyes were a baby blue color. I wasn't the tallest guy around, but still pretty tall. I guess if she was seeing me without my stupid quote shirt, she would see I was pretty toned—not buff, but toned. Anyways, I seemed too…I don't know, but definitely not her type.

After our few seconds of appraising, Roger left us to get to know each other. Great, I was alone with a girl who freaked the hell out of me. I took a tentative step towards Joss, whose hands were on her hips, anger emanating from every one of her pores.

"M-my name's Thanos," I offered. Better be nice to her, so she won't hurt me, which seemed to be the thought in the front of her mind at the moment.

She glared at me with even more malice. "Do you even have any idea what Thanos means?" she demanded. I shook my head "no". After all, I had chosen it randomly as my new name; it sounded cool. "It means death in Greek. Thanos comes from Thanatos, the Greek god of death. Obviously, he was overshadowed by Hades, god of the Underworld. You really need to brush up on your Greek Mythology, Thanos, if you wanna wield that name around." Okay, that was a shitload of info I really didn't need.

"How do you know so much about mythology then?" I questioned. I didn't know that was one of the classes we took here. She nodded her head towards a bookshelf overflowing with books. The middle shelf seemed to be the most organized. I walked over to it and read off the names of the books—most of them were from series.

_Vampire Kisses, Blue Bloods, Twilight saga, Companions of the Night, the Silver Kiss, Vampire High, the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Harry Potter, The Otherworldlies,_ and_ Percy Jackson and the Olympians._ The last one was about Greek Mythology, I knew that. Some of my old friends had recommended the series to me before I had to leave. Then I realized it: every single book besides the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series was a vampire book. This girl was obsessed.

Well, at least I understood the Greek Mythology thing about her. I turned around again to see she was tapping her foot impatiently. What did she want from me?

I took a deep breath and started, "Well, the Percy Jackson series…my friends recommended it to me…before…before my…my dad…"

She cut me off, "Save the sob story, Princess." Great, now I had a nickname and a new name, neither of which really fit me.

"Well what about you?" I tried. "Why are you here?"

She put of a defensive shield. I could tell. Her stance tightened, she stopped tapping her foot in its combat boot. Her eyes widened just slightly, and her retort was unlike the other words she said to me. "None of your beeswax, dipshit." Then she stormed out of the room, grabbing a case on her nightstand before slamming the door behind her.

That was so weird. So now I have a girl for a roommate, but not just a girl, a freaky, gothic, vampire-obsessed girl who looked like she had way too much free time on her hands.

Oh, but lucky, lucky me! She left her computer open, on, on her bed. I snuck over to it and saw it was open to the internet, a Fanfiction story up. _Twilight_, great. You see, a year or two back, my old friends dared me to read the Twilight saga. I had to, or the whole school will find out that I had kissed another guy full on the lips—as another dare of course, but still. Sadly, the school was full of homophobes and I was one of the popular guys, no matter how messed up things were at home. And I did not want my reputation ruined.

So I read the series…and got hooked. I'd heard of other guys reading the series, but still, it was humiliating, especially since I liked it so much. I ended up sneaking in to see the movie. Definitely did not live up to the book, but the girls were pretty hot and some of the lines were pretty funny.

Back to the story. I quickly minimized the window and noticed a Word document open. It was a story Joss must've been writing. And trust me, it was good. Like, really good. So good, it should be published. I searched around on her computer until I found her other stories—she had a weird organized folder in folder in folder thing going on—and read the longer, most recently changed ones, for those seemed like the ones she was working on at the moment and liked. Wow, she was an amazing writer. I loved every word I read.

Searching through her pictures—yeah, you get it by now: I'm naturally curious and tend to not know when to keep my nose outta other people's personal stuff—I noticed a folder entitled "Deviant Art." I knew that was a website where people shared artwork. I took a look inside the folder and found amazing drawings scanned into the computer along with some drawings done on the computer. She was amazing at anything she did it seemed like.

I then looked through her opened iTunes and discovered Joss had really weird taste in music. Mixed with her obvious metal and rock music was some jazz—saxophone to be precise. This girl was just getting more and more confusing. Oddly enough, one of her most listened to songs was a strange soothing one entitled "Kiss from a Rose."

The song was almost over when Joss came banging back into the room. Oh, damn, I was caught.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she yelled at me as she stormed across our room to her bed, where I was sitting cross-legged in front of her laptop. She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me up so I was at eye-level with her. That's when I noticed her nails were also black, with red blood painted at the tips. And that the glove of the hand she was holding my shirt with was hitched up a little, to reveal her wrist.

"You cut yourself!" I exclaimed. Her eyes widened immensely. That was probably why she wore the gloves, not wanting anyone to see.

"Used to cut myself," she corrected. I was about to protest that the wounds looked quite new when she tilted her head ever so slightly to her left. I snuck a peek at the corner of the ceiling and noticed a security camera. Oh, so she used to cut her wrists in here until they installed the camera, which is when she must've found another place.

"Why?" I asked. Like I said before, I was insanely curious and didn't know when to shut up and leave others alone.

Joss dropped my shirt and I dropped to the floor. A small smirk twisted her mouth as she said, "None of your business, Thanos."

I didn't continue on the subject, but I had a feeling it had to do with her past. One of my many amazing traits—yeah, I like to flatter myself; it keeps my self esteem up (especially when this girl kept knocking it down)—was that I understood the human mind to a great extent. It could have to do with living with my brother for fourteen years, but who knows? I remembered she left the room right after I asked why she was at Wammy's House. And when she came back a long while later, she had fresh cut marks. It only made sense.

We each stayed on our own sides of the room the rest of the day. She worked on her computer; I read _The Lightning Thief_, the first book in the Percy Jackson series—Joss let me borrow it. The book was actually really good. The chapter titles made me laugh out loud and so did much of the story itself. Apparently Joss knew this was going to happen, for she didn't question my craziness.

When the dinner bell went off, I followed Joss to the dining hall. There, she sat in a corner by herself. I had the urge to go sit with her, but didn't. I sat alone as well, contemplating the girl. She was very interesting, I can tell you that. I tried to figure out why she cut herself, but couldn't. I never understood why anyone would do that. I read in some stories that it felt good, let the pain in the heart or mind out through physical pain. But seriously, couldn't she talk about it? And what was with her taste in music? I understood the metal and rock, but not the jazz. She even had some Hilary Duff! Of course, some of the most listened to of that was pretty sad. A lot of her Top 25 Most Played playlist were depressing.

At least now I understood why she was in the hallway her room was in. But I still didn't understand why I had to room with her, of all the orphans here. And I was a guy! I didn't think they even allowed that! Of course, there was a chance she was lesbian, but I didn't want to think about what a loss that would be. Instead, I thought about what I could say to her so she would consider me an ally, not an enemy. I wanted to be Joss's friend, although I couldn't figure out why.

* * *

**Author's note: i really hope you liked the first chapter! took a while to write (and it's now...2:45 am...) and...well, don't kill me for using Thanos as a name. I know i'm using it in Death's Soul, but i just love the name too much! btw, just so you know, Joss is a unisex name meaning Little Goth. i thought it fit and i like the name. (a character in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod was named Joss...he was a boy). PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Also, "Kiss from a Rose" is my absolute fave song in the WORLD! ...and yes, i do like Evanescence, Flyleaf, and Linkin Park. I could've also mentioned Within Temptation and Paramore, but i think i had enough names. You got the picture....And yes, i also do own Hilary Duff songs...(some are really good and really depressing and some fit w/ Twilight so well, it's scary)**

**I made the guy like Twilight, you gotta problem w/ that?! i happen to know several guys who like Twilight! and one of them is obsessed w/ The Nightmare Before Christmas and Slipknot (which is how i came upon the band to put in the story...)**

**Oh, and _Percy Jackson and the Olympions_ has gotta be one of my fave books series EVA! (And i already knew Thanos was Greek, meaning death, and that there was a god of death that the name comes from, but i had to do a little...research...)**


	2. Flight of the Wind

**AN: May i suggest some people should go read my profile for info on this story. please remember: these are my own characters that just take place in a place in Death Note. they have their own problems (and this prob takes place _after_ the end of Death Note, just saying...even though i really hate it that Mello and Matt would have to be dead then...).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight *by Stephanie Meyer (If i did, there would be some major changes!)*, Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives *By Ellen Schriber and art by Rem (If i did, there would be a LOT more Claude...and angry Alexander)*, Stripped *by Shiny Toy Guns*, or the Blood and Chocolate soundtrack (awesome movie). However, I DO own Midnight Scars, which makes an appearance in this chapter, and the OC's of Thanos and Joss. Oh, and duh, I don't own Death Note (If i did, MelloxMatt would've been more canon, and they wouldn't have died)**

* * *

Chapter 2 - Flight of the Wind

After that one dinner alone, I came back to our room to find Joss, of course, reading on her bed. It looked like a manga volume. I had already seen pictures of anime characters—guys, obviously—on her computer. Manga's not so different. Still, it was sort of weird. I mean, I just couldn't expect a girl like her, obsessed with vampires, totally gothic, to be reading something so…dorky. Yeah, I thought manga was dorky, get over it. Only dorks at my old school read it—and graphic novels, but don't let me get started on that—and I had never seen a girl touch a volume before. So, yeah, Joss reading the book as if it was the simplest thing in the world was not so comfortable for me.

Anyways, I decided to unpack, seeing as I had nothing better to do and the music playing from Joss's computer—love songs for Pete's sake!—was not very good to listen to when reading an action/comedy book. Hopefully, she wouldn't look up to notice my boxers or pajamas. That would be downright embarrassing. I mean, who would ever want any roommate—same gender or not—looking at their underpants?! And well, my pajamas weren't the coolest things in the world. One had corn on it, of all things!

I didn't have too much stuff, just enough to get by. Therefore, I finished rather quickly. (Did I just say "rather"? Wow, being surrounded by smart people is starting to affect me. Not good.) I looked into the two lone drawers I had barely filled, the other two drawers in the dresser completely empty, probably filled with spider webs. At least, they would be by the time I was out of here.

"Done already?" Joss called from the bed. I turned around to look at her just as she turned back to her manga. She flipped to the next page expectantly and her eyes widened. I had a feeling she had the whole book memorized. Then she got a dreamy look on her face. What the hell?

"What _are_ you reading?" I asked—no, demanded. She let out some air through her nose in a half snort, her dreamy smile gone and replaced with her signature smirk. Why was she always smirking at me? I get it; I'm new here and don't understand everything, especially you, but you don't have to make fun of me for it! (Did you know that people—I don't know and I don't care who—were trying to come up with a punctuation mark for sarcasm? I wish I had that mark right now…wait, no, then Joss would have it too…)

Through her smirk, her nose held high, her eyes closed, she stated, "Vampire Kisses manga, Blood Relatives, volume two." That was a mouthful. "I had just turned to the ultimate picture of Alexander Sterling at his hottest: slicked back long black hair, angry, and vampire fangs!" Once again, a shitload of useless info.

I realized something then, however. Although she rarely spoke to me, and when she did, it was either angry or sarcastic, Joss liked to talk. I later learned it was one of many prominent traits, though she never showed it. I learned I was the second person she ever opened up to so easily here at Wammy's House. It was a slow process she tried to stop constantly, but she naturally lead to it.

I turned back to my dresser, muttering, "Okay…" Joss sighed and switched her music to some very creepy, dark music. It was quiet at first—crappy recording obviously, but at least she could hear it (yeah, I also learned she had ears like a hawk—or is that eyes?—well, her ears were really good too)—until I heard the chorus.

_Let me see you  
Stripped down to the bone  
(Let me hear you speaking  
Just for me)  
Let me see you  
Stripped down to the bone  
(Let me hear you crying  
Just for me)  
Let me hear you  
Make decisions  
Without your television  
Let me hear you speaking  
Just for me_

"_Blood and Chocolate_ soundtrack," Joss explained at my shocked face. I was staring at her wide-eyed. The song was so fucking weird. She pulled the computer into her lap and started typing. I continued to watch her. She sensed my watching and looked up, frustrated. "I have to listen to it to write this story." Yeah, like that explained anything.

I sat down on my bed and listened to the music. Once you got past the freakishness, the songs weren't…that…bad. She obviously liked them. And obviously, they must help with what she was writing.

And remember, I'm curious, so I just had to ask after like four songs (each about four minutes long, too), "What are you writing?" After all, it had to be something dark if she was listening to such intense music while writing. I walked over to her bed, cautiously for I had no idea if she would let me see.

Although she wouldn't budge, she angled her laptop so I could see what she was typing while she typed. Sitting at the edge of the bed, I watched her expert fingers dash away at the keyboard, knowing exactly what she wanted to say. The story's title was something that had to do with scars, though I didn't pay attention so much to that as to the names she used.

Oh. My. Shit. Twilight. Jasper was written every so often and often there came the names Tanya, Alec, Aro, Marcus, Volturi…I think you get the idea. What was Jasper doing in Volterra? Especially without Alice. And I was prepared to question her—blowing my cover as a semi-normal guy—as to why the strange places.

Well, Joss noticed my strange look and explained, as she had done so often already that day, "It's a Twilight fanfiction; you know, that vampire book everyone's in love with? Gah, most girls love it for Edward. I personally hate him. As you can see from the story, Jasper's my preference. But Jane's my favorite character. She's a sadistic little vampire…" And evil grin spread across her face. It suited her. "Anyways, this is a crack pairing fanfic, Jasper and Jane, the most unlikely match ever…but my favorite characters…" Her smile was genuine. Her teeth—one slightly chipped in the front—shined behind her semi-full lips. It was a perfect smile.

And it of course didn't last. Now, I bet you're wondering why I would focus so much on one measly smile, but I did because had never really seen her smile. Only smirk and sneer, never genuine. And trust me, I wish she would smile more. So, about the smile not lasting, you see, as soon as she smiled, I grinned, as if the happiness it contained was contagious. But once she saw I was happy, Joss was angry. And don't even ask me why!

Well, she turned back to the story and, instead of watching the screen or her hands, I watched her face. Her expression changed drastically every so often, reflecting whatever she was typing. A few times she laughed slightly, evilly, as if she was enjoying torturing her characters…which was quite likely.

After at least another half an hour, the words just escaped my lips. I didn't mean to, but I was just watching her face some more, waiting for another sweet smile to appear—one never did—when I realized something I saw. "You have smile lines." The words just flew from my mouth at the realization. I really didn't mean to say them.

I bet anyone would know that older people, like moms and such, are the ones who have smile lines. Girls that are, say, fourteen or fifteen do not have lines that symbolize age. But there they were, barely visible, but still as clear as day…at sunset. Seriously, they were hardly noticeable, but if someone looked at her like I had been, they would have noticed.

Joss's eyes widened. She whipped around to look at me, as if she didn't even know I was there, let alone looking at her face. "Excuse me?!" she demanded. Yeah, I realized then that it is really not smart to tell a girl she has something that only older people have. "Smile lines?! I'm not that old, you fucktard!"

All the calm from the previous time evaporated and was replaced with burning hatred. Yep, I had insulted her. Better explain myself before I wind up with my neck snapped. "Well, it looks like you used to smile, a lot. The way your lips so easily are able to pull up at the corners, you know." It was hard to keep myself from stuttering. "And there are slight lines around your mouth where it looks like you smiled…a lot…" This was one of the toughest things I had ever had to do.

I bet you can tell by now that I didn't have too much experience with girls. I was one of the few boys at school that didn't have a girlfriend and never did. A lot of guys switched girls every month or so, sometimes almost after a week. The fact that they claimed their love for these girls—the ones they hung out with all the time before so—and then easily dismissed the "feelings" disgusted me. I wanted a girl whom I loved, and who loved me. (I really gotta stop rereading Twilight.)

Back to the story. Well, Joss realized soon that I was starting to blabber and was going nowhere, so she stopped me. She reached a gloved hand up and placed it against my lips, cutting me off mid-sentence—okay, I have no idea if it was even a sentence, but you get the gist.

"I get it," she said, her eyes downcast. I really had insulted her! Shit. Shit. Shit. Double, triple shit. Wait, why was I even overreacting in the first place? She was just a strange girl I had to room with for…a bunch of years…(okay, not the best at math on my feet). But she was a hot girl, a messed up hot girl, one who looked like she needed a friend.

Suddenly, the hand that was still positioned at my mouth shot forward, knocking me off the little edge of the bed I was using as a seat. The floor was hard against my ass. Ouch, that frigging hurt! And I was about to question why the hell Joss had done that when she started speaking again.

A distant smile, not too unlike the one genuine smile I saw, fell upon her lips as she remembered, "When I was younger, I heard that laughing helps you live longer. My best friend and I used to joke that even if I wasn't turned into a vampire, we'd still both live to be two hundred, because of how much we smiled and laughed with each other…" The memory was sweet, and I loved how she talked about her best friend. They must've been really close. But I had a feeling she rarely let these memories out of her memory, like she didn't want to remember her past. I understood that; it was hard for me to remember my brother, my dad. But my friends were what kept me going; I didn't want to lose them completely.

Then Joss jerked back into reality, the present, and glared down at me. "What the hell are you doing on the floor, Thanos?" she demanded.

I gave her a weird look and answered slowly, "You pushed me…"

"Oh," she said. Weird. So weird. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. I glanced at it too: almost time for lights out. "Come on, we still have some time, and I don't wanna continue with that thing," she said nodding towards the security camera. Then she did the freakiest thing I would've thought possible for her. She grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet, and then pulled me out of our room.

I was pulled down hallway after hallway until we came to a set of stairs. She started to climb. I had no choice but to follow (my hand was still gripped very tightly in hers). It was then that I realized how strong she was. She had grabbed me by my shirt earlier, pulling me up, pushed me off the bed with a single—almost gentle on her part—push, pulled me up with just one of her hands, and now was dragging me up stairs. She really was strong. And it only made her hotter…and scarier…

But the time we reached the top of the stairs, she had barely started breathing heavily, while I was panting and sweating. We had walked—well, ran—up several flights, and were now on the roof. Joss pulled me over to the edge, and plopped down on the hard stone we were standing upon, pulling me, once again, down with her.

She knocked her head back and breathed in great breaths of fresh air. I breathed in too, for the air was wonderful. Compared to this, our room was stuffy and horrible. Here, we were free, in the open, defenseless, relaxed. A light wind blew in our faces, pulling our hair back with it. Joss looked not just hot, no, not hot at all, but beautiful. A light smile played across her lips. I had a feeling this was the only time she ever truly smiled during her time here.

I heard the sounds of nature, trees swaying in the wind, leaves rustling, birds, animals, crickets. The darkness surrounded us, but there was just enough light to see by. Joss's eyes flew open and she lied on her back, her hand finally letting go of mine. I still followed her and looked up at the stars she was staring at. I had lived in the city and rarely saw stars. These were, well, heavenly.

We lay in silence for some time, no thoughts running through our heads—at least, there were none in mine. I didn't want to break the silence; it was too fragile, like glass, no, like an eggshell. But soon, it was shattered, but was replaced with something sturdier: Joss's voice.

"I don't get it. It's so easy to talk to you. I haven't been able to talk so easily with someone since…well…" She stopped. I didn't try to nudge her on. Her past was still hard for her, I could tell. But finally, she continued, just not the same train of thought. "Most people's number one fear is public speaking. Their second being death. When I was younger, mine were flip-flopped. I had extreme stage fright, but was learning cope with that. But my fear wasn't death itself, but other people dying. I used to say I would gladly step in front of another to save them from death; I could face my death head-on. It was other's I just couldn't handle….That fear, I never got over."

I said nothing. I knew it had to do with why she was here, at Wammy's, but I couldn't figure out how. She just lay there for some time, musing over things I think. But then she sat up, sighing, and without a word, headed back for our room.

When we got back, the clock read exactly one minute before lights out. Yeah, that was good timing. Joss grabbed some stuff out of her dresser to change into and her little case from her nightstand and left to go change and wash up for bed. I grabbed some boxers and a plain t-shirt, my toothbrush and junk and rushed out of the room as well. Luckily, barely remembering the tour I had received that morning, I didn't get lost on my way to the boys' room.

When I got back, Joss wasn't in bed yet. I simply got into my own bed and tried to fall asleep. It was hard to, however. The room felt empty without the other's presence. How I got to that conclusion, I'll never know. After lying in bed for at least half an hour, Joss snuck back in—meaning she was gone for about forty minutes. I feigned sleeping so she didn't know I knew where she was. I knew she was cutting herself. And I knew I needed to stop her.

* * *

**Author's note: finding a good stopping point in this chapter was pretty hard. i almost added in an extra whole scene, but that was too important to put at the end of an already pretty long chapter. so, this one is more filleresque compaired to what i originally wanted to put in here. however, i added some cool stuff and now you're learning more in-depth stuff about Joss. I hope you like her. and Thanos. please Review.**


	3. New Friends, Best Friends, & Boyfriends

**Author's Note: YAY!! okay, this chapter took over a week to write. wrote almost all of it during school, in a journal. took up 14 pages. and that was only part of the chapter too. 6 or 7 pages in all on microsoft word. teehee. anyways, super long chapter with some SURPRISES!!! one was accidental, then made the story just THAT much better!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note (if i did, Matt and Mello would be canon and have more airtime and such) or "Barbie Girl". BTW: from now on, like in my other chapters, i will feature a random song that fits with whatever i decide. first chapter was "Kiss from a Rose" second: "Stripped". I luv both those songs. not so much "Barbie Girl"...**

* * *

Chapter 3-New Friends, Best Friends, and Boyfriends

Joss climbed into bed and I bet she fell asleep almost instantly. I still was having trouble—after all, I was in a brand new place, not my old bed, and I was sharing the room…with a girl no less. I started drifting in and out of sleep for a while until I started hearing whimpering.

The clock said 4:39 am—I was sleeping for longer than I thought. But the whimpering seemed to have been going on longer than I thought. Every so often, a louder cry was heard. What was going on? It sounded like Joss was being tortured!

I rolled over and saw she was shaking in her sleep. My heart beat faster. What was going on? What was wrong? She was still asleep, but was having a nightmare. I quickly—and quietly—pulled my sheets off and snuck over to her bed. She was still whimpering and shaking. It was a horrible sight. This rock-hard girl with such a tough exterior looked like a small child. Sorry for this comparison, but it might help some reading this: It was like watching and older, gothic Toph (from Avatar: the Last Airbender) crying out for her mom and dad. It just wasn't possible.

Enough with the description and onto the action: I sat on the edge of her bed lightly and called out, "Joss…Joss, wake up…" She didn't. I nudged her, still calling softly, but it didn't work. Finally I was getting really worried, for she wasn't relaxing or waking up at all, so I took one of her shoulders and started shaking it violently. "Joss, wake up!"

She did. But actually, she looked like she was still asleep. Her eyes were wide, but I couldn't see them; they were filled to the brim with unleashed tears. Her fists clenched into the sheets; her teeth were biting into her lips so hard, blood had started to collect in small pools. She was breathing very heavily too.

And then she did the freakiest thing ever. She turned to me, looked me straight in the eye, and collapsed into my arms, letting loose the waterworks. Her arms wrapped around me and held me close as her head rested on my shoulder, crying. I felt the tears soak through my shirt soon, but she just held on, not letting go, not letting up.

After at least ten minutes straight of her bawling, she straightened up to look at me once more. "I haven't cried in years…thanks," she said quietly. A ghost of a smile crossed her blood red—obviously—lips. Then her expression darkened and she pulled back more, putting out a finger in warning. "If you tell anyone, you are dead."

With that, she fell back into her pillow and rolled over, to face away from me. I asked, "Who would I tell?" but I don't know if she heard me. After all, I didn't have any friends, not yet. I was only at Wammy's for a day! At least tomorrow we had classes. But I still didn't know what the other kids would think of me.

I got up and walked over to my bed, lying down heavily. Somehow, I immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, I was awakened by a blaring alarm clock. I was usually able to wake up in the morning—shocking, I know, but I always wanted to get out of the house as fast as possible—but the events of my almost sleepless night before were catching up to me. I grumbled into my pillow, trying to find the blankets I must have kicked off.

The buzzer didn't stop. I grumbled again, more loudly. Still, it kept going on and on. Finally I opened my eyes wearily, feeling the gross stuff that always caked on while I slept—eye boogers some of my old friends called them. Looking around the room, I spotted the alarm clock on the nightstand next to Joss's bed. I quickly got out of bed and shuffled barefoot over to the clock, pressing the off button.

"Joss," I called to the lump in the bed next to me. "Joss, time for school, we have to get up now." She didn't stir. I walked over to her, still tired, and shook her slightly—not like the night before, trust me—and called her name again. Serious déjà vu going on here…Finally she moved a bit and slowly sat up. Her eyes finding mine, she glared. Then she flipped her covers off, grabbed stuff from her dresser, and walked out of the room.

I got my clothes for today out of my dresser, took my toiletries, and went to change for the first day of my new school. When I got back to the room, I figured Joss left for class before me, but I bed we weren't in any f the same classes. She must be older than me by at least a year. Maybe that was a good thing; she won't be able to yell at me or make fun of me at all like I bet she would. It just seemed like the type of thing Joss would do, yell at me. I did not need to be embarrassed in front of kids that I didn't' know and would hopefully befriend.

Sadly, I got lost on my way to English, my first period class. Nobody was in the halls, and I was already running late (I wasn't even able to eat breakfast!). This was just great: first day of a new school full of super smart people—which I apparently was a part of—and I was late. Not only that, but I was completely and utterly lost!

"You lost, new kid?" a gravelly voice said behind me. I was facing a wall, my head against it in frustration. The question made me jump, banging my head in the process. When I turned around, clutching my skull, I saw a red-headed boy a little taller than me. He was wearing a red and black striped shirt, baggy jeans, and weird orange goggles.

I looked around to see we were alone. He just continued to stare at me. Reluctantly, I replied softly, "Yes…" He smirked. I had a bad feeling about this kid. His voice sounded like he smoked and he had an air about him like he was some type of bully.

Then he grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the hall, much to my surprise. Smiling, he said, "My name's Matt. And you're…?"

"M-my name's Thanos," I answered. This kid was really scaring me. But I needed to know where my class was, so bucking up enough courage…to maybe step on an ant, I kept quiet. However, Matt asked me anyway.

"Where you headed, Thanos?" He was looking straight ahead through his weird goggles. I answered him and he stated leading me to class. After that, he just left me.

I went inside the classroom and looked around. Twenty pairs of eyes were staring at me. The teacher, still writing on the ancient blackboard, didn't notice the disturbance. My stomach started twisting and turning and my hands became clammy. So sweaty in fact that my books (I was given them on my tour yesterday) slipped from my arms and clattered to the ground. Yeah, that meant that even without Joss, I was still completely embarrassed.

The teacher looked around at the loud noise and spotted me. With a shocked expression on his face, he said, "They told me I was getting a new pupil. They didn't tell me I would be getting a new troublemaker. Please arrive on time tomorrow or your first impression will be the only one I will be using when thinking of you. There is an open desk in the back; you may sit there." He pointed to the empty seat.

As quietly as I could—though I have no idea why; I already had the class's full attention—I walked to the back of the classroom. However, on my way to my seat, a large mass of black caught my eye. I looked down, and there she was, sitting in her seat, drawing something. I couldn't make it out yet, but I knew it would look good.

Joss was in my class, my grade. That's the only I thought as I took my seat. No, I couldn't pay attention; how could I? English was almost over anyway, so it didn't matter. Joss was not going to let me live this down.

When the bell finally rang, I looked up from what I was absently doodling to see Joss had already gone. I quickly packed up my unused stuff and ran to the door. The other students had already filed out and I had no idea where my next class was.

Luckily—I think—Matt was actually waiting outside the classroom for me. He smiled as soon as I saw him and asked what my next class was. As we walked, he started chuckling.

"What?" I asked, annoyed. Come on, what was so funny? He was just some older kid taking me to my next class. Maybe he could be my new friend though…

Matt kept looking ahead, but pulled his goggles onto the top of his head as he said, "I was just thinking that if Mello saw me with you, he'd kill me. No, wait. He'd kill you! Ha ha!" He started loudly at that. By then we had arrived at my next class. Before I had time to ask who Mello was, Matt had left.

_Who was Mello?_ I thought as I went to a vacant seat in the back of the room, oblivious to the fact that I had once again passed by Joss. Was Mello his friend? An overprotective friend? Why would he kill me for being with Matt, anyway?

It seemed like no time had passed when the bell rang again. And there Matt was, waiting for me. For the rest of my classes until lunch, Matt guided me through the school part of the building. When lunch actually came, he was nowhere in sight, however. I was able to just follow everyone else, though.

When I got to the dining hall, I looked around to find Matt. He was the only guy I would and could sit with. I found him in a darker corner, sitting with a blond girl. She was also wearing all black, like Joss, but more discreetly. She didn't flaunt it like Joss. I sat across from Matt, food platter in hand, and he looked up in surprise. His eyes started to widen in fear. Why was he scared?

Then the girl next to him spoke, looking up so I could see her should-length hair fall, framing her face perfectly. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" OH MY SHIT!! This was a guy! His was deep and mesmerizing, yet he looked like a girl…a hot (flat-chested) girl. "Answer me, you piece of shit!"

Matt looked at his friend then and slapped him across the face. I sat stock still afraid of what was happening. "Mello! Stop it now! This is Thanos. He's new and hasn't heard any rumors about you yet. Just let him sit here…" At that, Matt pulled a DS out of his pocket and started playing it.

"Kid," Mello said, looking me up and down with an appraising eye, "I have no idea who you are or how Matty knows you—"

"Don't call me that," Matt interrupted without looking up from his game.

Mello continued as if Matt never spoke, "But if he likes you, I can't kill you. He'll never let me live it down…" We ate in silence for a while, just the three of us at our own table. Matt played his video games, Mello sulked, and I was deep in thought. Could these guys be my new friends? Matt already seemed like one, but Mello…he was just tolerating me because of his friend. And what was with his attitude?

"Wanna come to our dorm Friday night?" Mello asked suddenly. I looked up from my food, not knowing if he was talking to me. Ice-blue eyes stared right back at me. I was too stunned to say anything, but I nodded. This was the first—and hopefully not last—time I was invited to someone's dorm. Maybe, if I didn't mess this up, they would let me come any time I wanted, like real friends.

My old friends and I were so close, we had keys to each others' houses. We walked in anytime we wanted to. We hung out or did homework…rarely. I loved to just be with them constantly. Now I had nobody. Everyone still had their homes and their other friends. But not any of them knew where I was, why I was gone. So I needed new friends, one that understood me. And this place hopefully had them. I had already found one guy who seemed to like me, and his friend accepted me.

Mello wrote down directions to their dorm, but Matt promised to take me, too. He then led me to my next class. The day finished quite like that morning, the week mostly the same. Joss mostly ignored me, and I ignored her in turn. I don't think she was cutting herself though. She was always reading or on her computer. Never did she disappear for too long. Maybe the security camera had something to do with it.

Then Friday came. Matt still led me to my classes, Mello accompanying us every once in a while. I didn't need the older guys anymore, seeing as I was able to mesmerize my way, but I enjoyed being with them all the same. Sometimes we talked, sometimes it was silent. And on Friday, Mello and Matt were whispering to each other, probably about that night—and excluding me. It didn't matter so much. We talked a lot otherwise. What was one time?

I arrived at English on time, but Joss was already in her seat. I walked passed her to my desk, but on my way, I saw what she had been drawing all week during school. It was a close-up of a face. _My_ face! Why would she do that? I stood there looking at the drawing that was so detailed, so amazing, it scared me.

After a minute of my standing and watching, Joss looked up from her almost finished drawing of my face and looked into the actual thing. Well, glared is more like it. "What?" she finally asked. I just stood there, speechless. "Shut up," she said, even though I hadn't said anything. "Go sit down and leave me alone already." She turned back to the drawing and signed it with her name. She then placed it inside a folder with other drawings. The bell rang and I rushed to my seat as the teacher walked in.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, except for Matt and Mello's continued whispered conversations. Finally, the end of the day came. 5:00 pm. Yeah, I know, insanely long. Yet somehow, that was alright. I mean, classes started later than at a normal school, and lunch was longer. So really, it seems only fair. And we live here, so we had nowhere to go after school. The weekends were for that stuff.

So, Matt was waiting outside my last class. We walked to dinner—and hour and a half long—and ate in silence. Mello disappeared sometime during our meal. When the last bell of the day, the week, rang, we walked into the hall with everyone else. Matt had to go to the bathroom and told me to wait. I stood a little ways down the hall. As he came out, I started walking towards him.

Some of peers looked at me strangely, as though seeing this for the first time. As if they were shocked that an older kid wanted to hang with me. A random guy grabbed my arm as I made my way towards Matt.

He flung me around to face him and said quietly, yet loud enough for so I could hear him over the roar of students, "Don't you know who he is? The red-headed goggle-wearing older kid?"

I stared at him like he was crazy. "Yeah…" I answered slowly, as if questioning his sanity instead of him questioning mine. "That's Matt…"

"He's Mello's sidekick!" he scream whispered, straining his voice. He was really trying to get some point across. I kept staring at him blankly. "Mello is, like, the worst kid at Wammy's! He's a bully, and beats kids up—physically _and_ mentally. There're rumors that he drinks and everyone knows Matt smokes. They're the resident 'bad boys' of this whole place. Everyone knows to steer clear of them. At least they're not as crazy as that cutter Joss girl. Now _she's_ nuts!"

I was already mad at this kid for saying such horrible things about my new friends (and if they were true, then I was mad at Mello and Matt for keeping themselves from me). Now I was furious he would insult Joss like that.

Matt had noticed my forced conversation and had waded his way to us during the other boy's speech. So he was really the only eye-witness to what I did right then—no one else was paying attention. After the strange kid's jab at Joss, I just cracked. My arm swung back and flew forward, connecting with the guy's face. The impact was extreme and reverberated up my whole arm. I just stood there, panting, in front of a kid with a severely bleeding nose.

Luckily, Matt had his head still on his shoulders. He grabbed my shoulders and led me away from the small crowd gathering. He dragged me through hallway after hallway until he stopped abruptly at a door at the end of a last corridor He pulled a key out of his back pocket and unlocked the door that was obviously to his dorm room. As soon as he opened the door, a pair of bare arms pulled him inside by the waist.

I followed inside to see a very messy room. Video game cases and disks and chocolate bar wrappers coated the floor. The air smelled of cigarette smoke and chocolate, a not too rancid smell. A large TV was against the wall opposite the two beds with a large couch in front of it. Next to the TV were two bookshelves—one of video games, the other of books.

And in the center of the room were two guys. Once clad in tight black leather showing off most of his midriff, the other wearing his usual black and red stripes and baggy jeans. The blond, leather-wearing one had his feminine hands around the waist of the striped boy. Mello was slowly pulling Matt towards him, oblivious to the younger boy standing in the doorway—me.

That's when I caught the faint whiff of alcohol. Beer, vodka, whatever it was, the rumor of Mello being an alcoholic was true. Matt whispered something to his semi-drunk friend and Mello pulled away. He then swaggered over to me, somehow acquiring a beer bottle on his way over.

Shoving it in my hand, he exclaimed, "Come on! Loosen up a little!" He then started dancing his way over to a stereo and turned on a random (loud) CD full blast. He grabbed another bottle and pulled Matt to the open center of the room, dancing very close to him. "Aw, Matty!" he complained. "Usually after just one can, you're as loose as a noodle!" He pulled Matt close again.

With their foreheads pressed against each others' and hands around each others' waists, Matt said, "Maybe it's not the best idea with Thanos here…" When he stopped talking—though it doesn't seem like Mello was listening—the blond leaned in and smashed his lips to the other boy's. With the force of the impact, the two guys crashed to the ground, blond on top of red-head…And they started making out. Ew, maybe it _was_ good that I shared a room with a girl.

I didn't want to leave, but being with two drunk gay guys was really disturbing me. Like I said before, I wasn't a homophobe, but I never said I was comfortable with PDA (public displays of affection)—gay or otherwise. I took a swig of the beer still in my hand. After all, Mello said I should drink it to loosen up.

After I finished the whole bottle and moved onto my second, I was perfectly fine with the two guys "sneaking" kisses with each other as the three of us played video game after video game. By 10:00 pm, I barely knew what was going on—meaning I couldn't tell there were two shirtless guys a little older than me starting to dance to "Barbie Girl." And they were dancing very seductively…

_You can brush my hair_

Matt ran his fingers through Mello's blond locks, pulling him closer.

_Undress me anywhere…_

Mello rubbed his hands down Matt's bare back and into his jeans, bringing them to the front to undo the jeans' button and zipper. The two could barely stand. They wobbled over to the bed and collapsed on top of each other.

I was practically passed out on the couch. The room was constantly spinning and there was clinks of random empty beer bottles and cans on the ground and on the slowly creaking bed.

When I started hearing moaning and groaning and I noticed all the two guys' clothes tossed on the trash-covered ground, I realized it was time for me to leave. Leave before I saw anything and was scarred for life. I rolled over and landed on my hands and knees. Then I slowly and dizzily crawled out the room. How I was actually able to find my room I'll never know. Well, I did black out a few times…

* * *

**Author's Note: AWESOME!! yes, Matt and Mello are now in the fanfiction. yes, i gave you guys the tiniest bit of fanservice. yes, in my mind, at school, Matt was already a smoker and Mello was an alcoholic. and yes, Matty is a sweety and Mello is a horny drunk. and the drinking thing (well, what happens next chapter really) i've planned from the beginning. it was originally gonna be random guys he befriends, but now its Matt that he befriended!! SWEET!! so, please review. i luv getting them, as long as they are not flames. if they are, i hope your house goes up in flames! ...sorry.**

**anyways, i just wanna apologize for the inaccuracy of the drinking/drunkenness. and with the hangover Thanos will get in the future. you think i actually know anything about this stuff? i've sworn to never EVER drink EVER!! and my grandparents smoked, so i will never do that. and cutting...not gonna happen. so, if i'm not correct w/ some things, just excuse me. i am also not good at writing from the perspective of the opposite sex. and i seriously have nothing against gays, obviously.**

**OH!! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!!:**

**The lyrics to "Barbie Girl"**

_**I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic!  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination life is your creation**_

_**(Ken)Come on barbie, let's go party!**_

_**I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic!  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation  
**_  
_**I'm a blond little girl, in the fantasy world  
Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly**_

_**(Ken)You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamour and pain,  
Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky...**_

_**You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"  
**_

**As you can see, these lyrics obviously apply to Mello. And Matt w/ Mello. this isn't the whole song, but you get the picture. the rest is mostly repeating this stuff anyways. so, when i was thinking about what to have Matt and Mello do, the song came into my head randomly and then i was like "Undress me anywhere... OMD THAT'S LIKE MATT AND MELLO TOGETHER! and the song totally fit. so i put it in. just thought that was a funny story. please tell me if you agree this is officially Mello's song!**


	4. Kiss and Make Up

**Author's Note: I'm actually in the middle of writing ch 5, but finally got around to finishing typing this up from my journal. Awesome chapter; couldn't wait to write the first part. The rest is just helping the plot a ton. That reminds me: there shall be 8 chapters in all...AND A SEQUAL!! ((the title: Death by Any Other Name Would be Just as Painful)). When I first started this story, I thought it would be after DN, but now it's in the middle. Right now, you actually know the date, so you can guess where this story ends and the sequal begins. I actually had to do some research for the date. May 21st was a Friday in 2004. Anyways, the sequal will show you just how important Joss and Thanos are to the plot of Death Note. But just saying, they are like characters that didn't have any use really to be shown and have no effect of the plot whatsoever, but are still major characters. Does that make sense? Well, it will. The sequal shall be rated M for character death...not just the obvious ones too!**

**Also, seeing as the date for this story is long before most of the songs mentioned were written, just ignore that fact please. Thanx.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. If I did, Joss and Thanos would be actual characters. And I don't own "Yours to Hold" by Skillet, the best band in the world...next to Linkin Park.**

* * *

Chapter 4 - Kiss and Make Up

Security Camera Footage: Friday May 21, 2004. 10:36 pm

Joss was sitting at her desk, reading fanfiction on her computer, forcing herself to stay awake. If one would ask her why, she'd say because she wanted to. But there was a real reason that seemed so much better. That was why she jumped up immediately as soon as she heard a thump outside her door. It was unlocked, so the fact that whoever was on the other side hadn't opened it was not good.

When the door flung open, Joss found her roommate, Thanos, lying face-down on the carpet of the hallway. So those rumors were right: Thanos had gone to hang out on a Friday night with Matt and Mello. And he was totally wasted. Passed out and drunk.

The gothic girl pulled the unconscious boy up into her arms and carried him inside the room. After that, she slammed the door shut with her bare foot and stood there, holding Thanos, for a minute or two. Whatever thoughts that were going through her head were unknown, but she walked to her bed, not Thanos's, and laid him down. Joss then pushed his body against the wall and rolled him onto his side.

"Another long night…" she muttered to herself as she pulled her desk chair over to the bedside. She then grabbed a random book from her bookshelf and got comfy. It would be a long night.

_______

Thanos's POV

I didn't realize when I finally and officially woke up. All I remember was it seemed dark, but I was warmer and there was a weird (bad) smell surrounding me. Besides that, my stomach and throat were killing me and my head was throbbing and aching.

I tried to roll onto y back, but I hit something hard. A wall was against my back. And I realized now that I was on something very comfortable—a bed. Finally I opened my eyes. I immediately saw the black walls and band posters of my and Joss's room.

How'd I get here? As my eyes continued to search the room, I searched my brain for memories of the previous night.

I remembered I came to Matt and Mello's dorm and Mello handed me something. Then he made out with Matt (ew). Then I drank from bottle in my hand…OH! Duh! Beer. I got totally drunk and somehow left when Matt and Mello became too horny. And now I was in my room, but not my bed. Mine wasn't against the wall, Joss's was.

And that's when I saw Joss. She was sitting in a chair, slumped over on the bed, an almost finished book in her limp hand. What the hell was wrong with her? I let out a loud, painful cough, making my insides burn and my headache worse. The cough had started Joss, and she woke up.

"Huh? Where's the garbage?! Please don't tell me you're gonna puke again!" she rambled. So that's what that smell was. She looked up to see me watching her, confused. "You're awake? Seriously? What time is it…?" she questioned, as if I knew the answer. "Oh my fuck! It's past noon!" Joss shot up then and turned back to me. Concern crossed her face and she asked, "How are you feeling?"

All I could say in response was, "Ow…" She shrugged her shoulders, as if knowing I would say that and was content with the answer. After all, I did have a massive hangover. "W-why?" I managed to croak out a little while after she had sat down again.

"You mean why you're all 'ow'?" I gave her a "hardy-har-har" look. "Why'd I take care of you?" she asked, a small smile playing across her lips.

I nodded slightly, then closed my eyes from the dizziness. I didn't open them again but Joss answered anyway. "Well, I didn't want a dead roommate," she said sarcastically. Man she had mood-swings.

She sighed. "There were rumors that you were spending last night with Matt and Mello. This was your first time drinking, wasn't it? Those wild high school parties don't happen until you're older, right? Or so I've heard…Anyway, around 10:30, I found you outside our door, passed out. If I left you there, you could've drowned in your own puke. If I just dumped you on your bed, you could've swallowed it and still be dead. The only logically thing to do was lean you against the wall and stay up watching you. I guess I fell asleep soon after dawn."

I heard joints crack as she stood. "Well, I'm going to get rid of your barf. Then get something to eat before lunch's over. I'll bring back some ginger ale." Joss left the room. Most of the throw-up smell did as well,

So, she let me sleep in her bed. And she watched over me all night. She said she didn't want a dead roommate, and maybe she felt it was her job to make sure I lived, an obligation. But still, she could've sent me to the infirmary. Well, maybe she didn't want me to get in trouble, or Mello and Matt.

After a while of thinking, I fell asleep.

"_My lord," a black-cloaked, hooded figure said. The voice was definitely female, but very strong, confident. She was holding me bridal style in her arms, carrying me somewhere. "You're friends are a bad influence on you. If you are to be the future king, Your Highness, you must not be with them so often."_

_I scoffed and flung my head back. Stupid move; I was woozy and dizzy. It seemed that I was drunk again. We entered a dark room with black walls and furnishings. The bed was wrought iron with blood red bedding._

"_I'm sorry, Your Highness, but my bedroom was closer than yours," the woman apologized as she lied me down on the bed. She didn't sound too sorry._

_I just tilted my head back to look at the canopy above me. She glided about the room, lighting candles here and there. Then she pulled back large, heavy drapes—the same color as the sheets I was laying on—and flung open the window. Moonlight lit the room and the light breeze started to clear my head. Okay, I guess not._

_The hooded woman walked over to a water jug and dipped a cloth in. She then came over and placed the wet fabric on my forehead._

_I smiled, almost smirked, as she leaned over me. My arms shot up and grabbed her head, pulling her down to my lips. I breathed heavily as I sucked in her essence. She tasted divine!_

"_M-my lord! Thanos!" she screeched as she pushed away. "You're drunk! Your Highness should not…not…" She lost her train of thought. Her hood had been thrown back. I was lost in her eyes. They were dark, almost black. But there was no make-up or piercings on her face. Even without them, I knew immediately who it was: Joss._

"_You are gorgeous. Did you know that?" I slurred, trying to sit up. Before I could fall back down, I grabbed Joss by the waist and pulled her with me. She tried getting up, but I tightened my grip and started nibbling and sucking her neck. I whispered in her ear, "Come on, lady Joss; you know you want to." My drunkenness took away some of the sexiness in my voice._

_My lips found hers and we started making out. Finally, she stopped struggling. The breeze from the open window blew out the candles and the only light came from the full moon outside._

______

Security Camera Footage: Saturday May 22, 2004. 1:13 pm

Joss entered her dorm room to find a sleeping Thanos. As she walked closer to him, she let out, "Oh, gross! Damn, I should've gotten him to the bathroom before I left…That's not piss, is it?" a relaxed grin shown across Thanos's face and he moaned in pleasure. "DAMMIT, THANOS!" Joss yelled and grabbed the boy's arm, throwing him from her now-disgusting (more so than before) bed.

"Joss!!" her roommate called out, moaning almost with it, as he hit the floor. His eyes fluttered open in shock.

Thanos's POV

I had an awesome—and scary—dream. Why'd I think about Joss that way? The dream, even though I didn't realize it at the time, was pretty symbolic. Well, except for how awesome it felt!

The worst part? Waking up. Right at the climax, I had the wind knocked out of me and I opened my eyes to find my back killing me just as much as my stomach, throat, and head. I was somehow on the ground with Joss towering over me. Her beautiful face was set in a hard glare.

"Thanos!" she finally screeched. She just stood there after that, taking in heavy breaths, trying to calm down. After a long silence, filled with her breathing, she pointed to her bed and ordered, "Was my sheets! NOW!" I jumped up and, despite the pain and vertigo, grabbed the now-damp sheets and pulled them from the bed. But as I made my way towards the door, I heard a sound like a face-palm and piercings jingling and Joss whined behind me, "Change your clothes first, you dipshit!"

I looked down to find the front of my shirt covered in dried bile and the front of my pants soaked from my dream. A burning blush crossed my face and I dropped the sheets in my arms, running to my dresser. Without even thinking, I grabbed another outfit and started stripping. I had already gotten on my new boxers before I realized Joss was still in the room.

Once I froze, I heard chuckling. I hurriedly pulled on the rest of my clothes, grabbed the fallen bed-sheets and ran out of the room. Now I was even more embarrassed than before. Not only did I almost walk out in those clothes that were now well-hidden in my arms, going to be washed, but I had changed in front of her as well.

Joss had seen me naked! She had fucking seen me naked! She had seen me in all my glory and I didn't even realize it until too late! Words so similar to these pounded in my already throbbing head as I walked to the laundry room and then back to my own room.

Suddenly, I passed a door in my aimless wondering. It looked oddly familiar. Then it hit me: Matt and Mello's door. I barged through the (oddly unlocked) door and stormed into the room. Groans came from one of the beds at the sudden intrusion. I looked over to see the two boys—obviously naked—under the covers.

"Oh…Mells…We forgot about Thanos…" Matt croaked. They started squirming and the red-head emerged from the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Mello moved around, missing his lover's warmth. "Sorry, dude…We got a little carried away. You're okay though, right?" I didn't think he noticed my glaring. "Oh, and we'd appreciate it if you didn't mention our…" he nodded towards the bed, and Mello, "relationship. Did you just wake up too?"

I continued to glare, but answered, "No. Actually, I somehow got back to my dorm and Joss took care of me all night."

"Joss?!" Mello called from the bed. He hopped out and stood next to Matt. "Seriously?! That girl couldn't care less about anyone, even herself. What'd she do—hold your hair as you puked?" He sauntered over and swatted some of my hair. My glare increased.

I huffed and yelled back, "You guys just don't know her the way I do!" I think they might have taken it the wrong way.

Why? Because they simultaneously looked at each other and exclaimed, "That's what she said!" and fell to the floor in laughter. Mello was the first to calm down enough to look up in my face and ask, "How can you even make out? Aren't there security cameras in your room? And what about her piercings—aren't they painful?"

I rolled my eyes. The joke wasn't even that funny. They understood and stood again, trying to suppress giggles. Matt walked over to a dresser and grabbed two boxers, throwing one to his roommate. They pulled them on, still chuckling at me.

My stomach growled suddenly. Damn! I had missed breakfast _and_ lunch! Plus, whatever was in my stomach last night was puked out… "Want some chocolate?" Mello asked innocently, receiving a shocked look from Matt. Obviously, he wasn't usually this generous. I nodded and he grabbed a bar out of his nightstand, handing it to me.

How come he had chocolate in his nightstand? There looked to be another dozen bars in there. Must be a chocoholic or something. Anyways, as I unwrapped the chocolatey goodness, Matt slapped me on the back. "Awesome!" he said. "Mello likes you! You are now officially our best friend." I liked the sound of that. They were my official friends. But not just friends—best friends! Matt turned to his lover with a puppy dog look on his face. Jutting out his lower lip, he questioned, "How come you gave him chocolate but never me?"

Mello rolled his eyes and sarcastically answered, "I'm not gonna cheat on you, sheesh. And anyway, he has his own roommate. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more!" I raised an eyebrow. Mello was shocked. "You don't know Monty Python?! Matt, this kid has been deprived! Come here tonight right after dinner, ya hear?!"

As I started backing away, Matt wrapped a (bare) arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry," he said. "We only drink of Friday nights. And how about you save those nights for us from now on, huh? Come here any other time you like, k? Door's always unlocked. Heh, everyone's too scared of this guy," he pointed a thumb at Mello, "to ever enter unannounced!" He started laughing and pushed me towards the door. "See ya!"

By then, my laundry was probably done, so I went and got it, then went back to my own dorm room. Joss was gone, so I put my clothes in my dresser and I made her bed myself. What? I was trying to be nice!

Then, oddly, I decided to do my homework so I didn't have it hanging over my head tomorrow. Odd because at my old school, the only time I did my homework was when it was going to be turned in. I didn't need to do it otherwise; I still got straight A's. This work, even though it's from a school for smarter kids, was still too easy. Maybe I really did belong at this school.

After all the meaningless work was done, I picked up _The Lightning Thief_ and continued from where I left off. Before I knew it, the dinner bell rang and I was rushing to the dining hall.

I received strange glances from many of the students I passed on my way to Matt and Mello's table. I didn't care. They were my friends, and sacrifices have to be made for friends, even if that means I'll make no new ones. As soon as I sat down, Mello began scarffing down his food. Matt and I ate normally, but he was just too excited for later. Matt kept complaining to Mello how his butt hurt. I didn't even want to know.

Mello was right: I was deprived! Monty Python is one of the funniest things I've ever seen! They showed me the "Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge" sketch first of course and we couldn't stop laughing throughout. We were laughing so much Matt forgot about the cigarette he had lit up before we started watching.

None of could believe it when 9:00 came so soon. We exchanged goodbyes and I left, still chuckling slightly, heading towards my room. I wasn't surprised to find Joss already in bed. I was surprised, however, by the music playing from her computer.

_Every single day I find it hard to say  
I could be yours alone  
You will see someday  
That all along the way  
I was yours to hold, I was yours to hold_

Well, that's a weird song, especially for Joss. But I wouldn't put it past her. I grabbed some pajamas out of the dresser and stood by the door for a minute, contemplating if I should put them on in here, or maybe Joss was still awake.

"I've already seen you naked once. I don't plan on it again. Don't worry I won't look until you're in bed, "Joss called from her bed, startling me. She turned off her music and shut down her computer, all the while not watching me.

I hurriedly pulled of my clothes and slipped into the pajamas. Then I climbed into bed. Joss was facing me, propped up on her elbow. It seemed she wanted to talk. And I would let her.

"Apparently you're pretty smart," she said. How did she know that? "You're number five in the whole school." What?!

* * *

**Author's note: Well, now you know just how smart he is! BTW, Joss comments in the next chapter about how only the top three are ever remembered. Lol, a little author's humor. teehee. Well, review please, and continue reading!**


End file.
